The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, July 21, 1983, Image 10

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j: Page 10/The Battalion/Thursday, July 21, 1983
Talk of bad behavior upsets ex star
Mays wonders why he didn’t start
by Milton Richman
UPI Sports Editor
NEW YORK — Willie Mays has
a question. Aren’t there two
sides to every story?
What about his sidel 1
His critics are throwing all
sorts of rocks at him because
they feel he behaved boorishly at
RFK Stadium in Washington
Monday when he arrived there
for the Old Timers’ Crackerjack
Classic and was shocked to find
out he wasn’t in the starting
lineup.
For stalking out in a huff the
way he did, Mays, easily the most
exciting player of his genera
tion, is being portrayed as a
spoiled, self-centered little boy
who picked up his bat and ball
and went home upon discover
ing they wouldn’t let him play by
his rules.
Willie tries to make it sound as
if all the knocks on him don’t
matter. But they do. They hurt
him. He gives that away himself
by many of the things he says.
“I read in one paper where
they said I was a crybaby,” says
the 52-year-old Hall of Famer,
still so fondly remembered by
many as the Giants’ Say Hey Kid.
“I never cried about anything in
baseball. Did you see me cry be
cause I had to come all the way
from Alaska just to be there for
this Old Timers’ game? That’s
right, I came from Anchorage,
Alaska. I could’ve gone straight
home to San Francisco, but I
said I’d be in Washington for the
game and I kept my word. I
didn’t come all that way just to sit
on the bench.” /
Mays has heard and seen
much of the criticism of him that
followed the powder he took in
Washington.
“They say I’m too old to play
baseball,” he says. “I’m not in
condition to do all those things
you have to do, but when the
fans expect it of you, what do
you do, just sit there and dis
appoint them? But I think peo
ple still want to see me play and
as long as they do I’m gonna
try.”
The game in Washington was
limited to five innings because
many of the participants had
some trouble playing even two,
and it benefited the Association
of Professional Ball Players of
America, which helps ill and in
digent former players.
He is one of the directors of
the association. Last year, at the
Old Timers’ first annual, orga
nizers of the contest advertised
Mays would show up and he
didn’t. Nonetheless, they invited
him again this year but said they
didn’t hear from him.
Mays, however, insists they
were notified he would appear
by Billy Weinberger, his em
ployer at Bally Park Place Hotel
and Casino in Atlantic City. -
Mays also has a public rela
tions job with the Ogden Cor
poration. His boss there, Bill
Whitaker, asked him to go to
Anchorage, Alaska, last week to
help out with some work for the
company in conjunction with
Little League youngsters. Mays
did that. He was in Anchorage
three days from last Thursday
through Saturday and then left
to fulfill another PR assignment
in Baltimore the night before
the game in Washington. Joe Di-
Maggio and John Unitas also
were on hand for that one.
The following day. Mays got
to the ballpark just as the other
players finished meeting with
officials, who filled them in ab
out some of the conditions
under which the game would be
played. There would be no steal
ing and frequent substitutions.
“They said I was late getting
to park, but I don’t think I was,”
Mays says. “I got to the club
house about 5:20 just as the
players were coming out. I got
into my uniform right away,
then came out and took batting
practice with the rest of the guys.
I did all the interviews. I went all
the way down the line on the
field signing autographs. I felt I
did a helluva lot before the game
even started.”
Mays did, but since he had not
been present for the pregame
meeting and since those run
ning the contest weren’t sure
he’d even be there, his name
wasn’t among the National
League starters. Monte Irvin,
his old roomie with the New
York Giants, was listed to start in
left field, Hank Aaron in center
and Ralph Kiner in right.
During batting practice. Mays
delighted the crowd of 31,160
by hitting a “home run” into the
left field seats, which weren’t
much more than 260 feet or so
away, and he drew perhaps the
loudest ovation of the evening
when he was introduced with all
the other players before the five-
inning game.
Rookie pitches Philadelphia past Astros
United Press International
PHILADELPHIA — With
the Philadelphia Phillies
embarking on a seven-game
road trip, it remains to be seen
what the effect of a near no
hitter has on their previously
slumping fortunes.
But if the Phillies should get
hot, they will be able to focus the
point of their turnaround on a
rookie right-hander who was
playing in the Class A Carolina
League just one year ago, not
their high-priced stable of
veterans.
Charlie Hudson, called up
from the minors on May 31 to
bolster a weakened pitching
staff, came within two outs of the
National League’s first no-hitter
in nearly two years and settled
for a three-hitter to lead the
Phillies to a 10-3 victory over the
Houston Astros.
“Sometimes it takes some
thing like this to pull the team
together,” said interim manager
Paul Owens, who picked up his
first win since replacing the
fired Pat Corrales last Monday.
“As the game went on, you could
almost see their hearts beating.”
Craig Reynolds’ broken-bat
single that blooped in among
three Phillies in short center
field thwarted Hudson’s bid to
become:
—The first National League
pitcher to throw a no-hitter since
Nolan Ryan did it against the
Los Angeles Dodgers on Sept.
26, 1981.
—The first rookie to pitch a
no-hitter since Steve Busby of
the Kansas City Royals and Jim
Bibby of the Texas Rangers did
it nearly three months apart in
1973.
—The first Phillies’ pitcher to
no-hit the opposition since Rick
Wise on June 23, 1971.
—The second pitcher to twirl
a no-hitter this year. Dave
Righetti of the New York Yank
ees no-hit the Boston Red Sox
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Hudson, 3-3, struck out Har
ry Spilman to lead off the ninth
and went 0-2 on Reynolds, who
entered the game in the seventh.
The next pitch just missed the
outside corner and then Hud
son tried a slider down and in.
Reynolds hit the ball off the
handle but got enough on the
ball to drop it among center fiel
der Bob Dernier, shortstop Ivan
Dejesus and second baseman
Kiko Garcia. Denny Walling and
Dickie Thon followed with
home runs to spoil Hudson’s bid
for his first major-league
shutout.
Hudson said he realized he
had a no-hitter going as early as
the third inning. In the sixth, he
started talking with veteran Gar
ry Maddox to help him relax.
Later, he developed a blister but
put the ailment out of his mind.
“In the ninth, I went out and
said, ‘Here it is,’ and then I tried
to block it out of my mind,” he
said. “I wanted the no-hitter
bad.”
Hudson, in only his third sea
son of pro baseball, was called
up with a 6-3, 2.67 ERA season
at Portland and was immediately
plugged into the starting rota
tion after Larry Christenson was
injured and Dick Ruthven was
traded to the Chicago Cubs.
He impressed the front office
right away with a blazing fastball
and a sharp-breaking curve and
those two pitches were most in
evidence against the red-hot
Astros, who had blistered the
Phillies for 15 runs and 30 hits in
the first two games of their
series.
Hudson also contributed an
RBI single and scored a run but
the hitting hero was Joe Lefeb-
vre, who cracked his first career
grand slam and fifth homer of
the year in the first inning and
added a run-scoring single in
the eighth.
Pete Rose, who scored twice,
had four hits to boost his career
total to 3,950 and lead a 12-hit
attack that included three hits by
the slumping Mike Schmidt.
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“I had heard good things ab
out him,” Houston manager
Bob Lillis said of Hudson. “He
pitched a great game. He has an
outstanding arm. I thought he
might get the no-hitter late in
the game because he still looked
strong to me.”
John
wagner
A Cajun-style Q|l
like Broadway){
THE KID’S STYLE reminds you, in an coincidental
way, of Joe Namath. Cocky. Confident. Ability to matct
not as uptown, not as swanky and eligble as Broadwayji
then again, he struts his stuff in working man’s Detroit,na
society New York.
When Bobby Hebert (pronounced A-bear) set the US
its hip pads by leading the Michigan Panthers toa 24-22n
over Philadelphia in the new league’s first-ever champioi
game, he left himself open for comparison.
Namath, a brash, untamed talent from Alabama,amt
at the right time for the old American Football League,u
tough and playing the same way as the Jets defeated the
Super Bowl III. That win gave the upstart AFL its first
Bowl champion and helped bring credibilty to the bra
football played “in that other league.”
Hebert, who led the USFL in passing, has a quietersttk
Namath, but his confidence still slips through occasio
When informed he had thrown for more than .SOOvardstj
Philadelphia, Hebert told reporters he could havepasst
400-yard mark if “I had played as well as I could havt
Whoops. Remarks like that make great bulletin boaii
corations. Especially in opposing lockerrooms.
THE 22-YEAR-OLD ROOKIE from Northwest Loo
University speaks with a thick Cajun accent, and anocta
phrase punctuated with “praise God” let’s you know
more to his life than wine, women and football.
But (unfortunately for vineyards and females) it’s fi*
where he shines the most.
“Bobby Hebert has a chance to be as good as an;
America, in any league anywhere,” says Michigan Goad
Stanley.
Big talk from a coach in a small league. But it’s liij-Li
USFL needs the most. By all comparisons, the league's!
ral season was a success — far beyond the expectationsof:
everyone involved. The only people who yawned throufl
18-game schedule were the guys in the press box.
What will ultimately be the USFL’s saving grace is itspl
Agressive signing policies and big salaries helped lurea
young talent, guys like Herschel Walker, Craig James, Ini
man, Kelvin Bryant, Anthony Carter, John Corker-
whom should be the superstars of the future.
“I’m proud of our success this week,” Stanley saidaftsj
championship game. “I’m proud of the USFL — I’mproi
the way things have been run. I realize we have some grow
do, but we have come farther than most people thoujkj
could in one year.”
Chuck
the Co
ecreath
THE ONE THING the USFL lacked at the start of thesefc-x y-*
was a big-name quarterback. They needed somebody ft ) ^
could step into that glamorous position and throw the
out the ball. Enter Hebert.
Hebert was projected as either the sixth, seventh orti® united Pr
best quarterback available in the NFT draft, dependingc WASHING
you talk to. He wasn’t exactly prime playing material,a::a^aii inte
knew it. When the Panthers offered the chance toplayinresident W<
ately, Hebert jumped. ftaales to
But things started slowly for Michigan and its rookieouren buried ii
back. The Panthers struggled to a 1-4 record beforeabesr*— AB'
up offensive line and two little guys on the ends turned H 'ank Reyn
into a hero. Wte Hous<
The little guys are the above-mentioned Carter and! est.
Arkansas wide receiver Derek Holloway. Their speed anil|
play abiltity gave Hebert two targets he couldn’t miss,?
Panthers finished the season in an offensive pipe dream j
HE MAY NOT be the savior of the USFL, but Hebd
already shown he has the skills to help put the new leagueotj
map, just like Namath did with the AFL. But Hebert hav
distinction that seperates him from Broadway Joe.
He probably won’t ever model panty hose.
It was Re
he be bn
letery in
ding tc
lady’s p
West wins Texas
All-Star game, 10
. Col. Jz
ormation
ary Dist
d s Arlingt
:ynolds wo
e “on requ
' tery si
United Press International
EL PASO — Beaumont’s John Kruk and MidlancbJ
Hatcher each hit one homer to lead the Western Division!
10-4 victory over the East in the Texas League All-StarC
The Western Division pounded out 20 hits, indudini
two home runs, and San Antonio pitcher Sid Fernadezhad t united I
strong innings to win the Most Valuable Player Aitf TOKYO-
Wednesday night’s debacle. |t to the
The West never trailed in the game. vitation o
Fernandez, one of the top pitching prospects in ththdropov i
Angeles Dodgers’ organization, allowed only two hitsfmple thir
struck out seven. tote politi
Hatcher had a double and a single to go with his hoim event wa
and El Paso’s Bill Max had a double and two singles forthniny Cart
RBI.
Jackson’s Joe Georger took the loss.
The West took a 3-0 lead after three innings on N
two-run homer. Four more runs in the fifth made it 7-2!
Ponce capped the scoring with a run-scoring double b
two-run eighth inning for the West.
Kevin Mitchell of Jackson singled in Mark SchusK 1
Shreveport in the fourth to put the East on the board,
fifth, Shreveport’s Randy Gomez doubled and scored try
single by Rod Booker of Arkansas.
Andropc
la sixth
“ster, Me
her pa
asking -
ership i
I think
Then, Mark Salas of Arkansas hit a two-run homerunfo hg Am
East in the sixth inning
The crowd of 8,093 was the largest for a Texas
All-Star game since 1967.
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a gal
;ers on
day prr
It shov
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